WO2008016022A1

WO2008016022A1 - Pressing device, and ultrasonic probe and ultrasonic diagnosis device using the pressing device

Info

Publication number: WO2008016022A1
Application number: PCT/JP2007/064929
Authority: WO
Inventors: Takeshi Matsumura; Tsuyoshi Mitake
Original assignee: Hitachi Medical Corporation
Priority date: 2006-07-31
Filing date: 2007-07-31
Publication date: 2008-02-07
Also published as: JP5237808B2; US20100113937A1; JPWO2008016022A1; EP2050398A4; US8747323B2; CN101489490B; EP2050398A1; CN101489490A; EP2050398B1

Abstract

A pressing device for smoothly performing pressing operation, an ultrasonic probe, and an ultrasonic diagnosis device. The pressing device has a balloon used installed on an ultrasonic transmission/reception surface of an ultrasonic probe and presses a subject by the balloon. The balloon has a hollow pressing section made of an elastic material, a tube for placing and discharging liquid from the pressing section, and an installation section contiguous to the peripheral edge of the pressing section and installing the pressing section onto the ultrasonic transmission/reception section of the ultrasonic probe. The inner diameter of the installation section or the pressing section is set smaller than the outer diameter of that section of the ultrasonic probe on which the installation section or the pressing section is installed. Because tension is applied to the pressing section, pressing operation can be started with a less amount of initial injection, and this makes the pressing operation smooth.

Description

Specification

COMPRESSION DEVICE AND ULTRASONIC PROBE AND ULTRASONOGRAPHIC DEVICE USING THE COMPRESSION DEVICE

Technical field

TECHNICAL FIELD [0001] The present invention relates to a compression device used when acquiring elasticity information in ultrasonic diagnosis, an ultrasonic probe using the same device, and an ultrasonic diagnostic device.

Background art

In ultrasound diagnosis, the hardness and softness of tissues inside a living body are measured to diagnose the presence / absence of a tumor and / or a malignant tumor such as cancer. Specifically, pressure is applied to the living body, the displacement of each part inside the living body caused by this is measured, and the distortion information of each part of the living body is calculated based on the displacement, and elastic information such as elastic modulus is calculated. The elasticity information is imaged and used for diagnosis.

[0003] In general, as a method of applying pressure to a living body, it is a common practice to press the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface of an ultrasonic probe against a measurement target in a subject, either in a technical or mechanical manner. In Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, instead of manually pressing an ultrasonic probe against the epidermis of a living body and compressing it, it is inserted into a body cavity and used in a body cavity as in prostate diagnosis. Sonic probe compression device has been proposed!

[0004] Patent Document 1: US2002 / 0068870A1 Publication

Patent document 2: WO2006 / 041050A1

Disclosure of the invention

Problems to be solved by the invention

[0005] However, according to the compression methods described in Patent Document 1 and Patent Document 2, when using by inserting into a body cavity having a diameter larger than the axial diameter of the ultrasound probe head, the necessary compression is required. In order to obtain force, it is necessary to inject a sufficient amount of liquid between the surface of the ultrasonic probe and the membrane.

[0006] Therefore, since the liquid must be injected until the tension generated in the balloon membrane reaches the threshold tension, the initial injection amount increases, and a time delay occurs until the compression force necessary for measurement is generated. In other words, because the initial injection volume is large, the liquid in and out of the balloon is removed. Therefore, there is a possibility that the compression operation for repeatedly applying minute compression cannot be performed smoothly. An object of the present invention is to provide a compression device that performs a smooth compression operation, an ultrasonic probe using the compression device, and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus.

Means for solving the problem

[0007] In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, in a compression apparatus that includes a balloon that is used by being attached to an ultrasonic transmission / reception surface of an ultrasonic probe, and compresses the subject with the balloon, A hollow compression portion formed of an elastic member, a tube for injecting / extracting liquid into the compression portion, and a peripheral edge of the compression portion, and the compression portion on the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface of the ultrasonic probe And an inner diameter of the mounting portion or the compression portion is configured to be smaller than an outer diameter of the mounted portion of the ultrasonic probe. Since tension is applied to the compression portion, compression can be started quickly with a small initial injection amount. Therefore, the compression operation can be performed smoothly.

[0008] In addition, it has a distal end portion having an ultrasonic transmission / reception surface, a holding portion that is connected to the distal end portion and is held by an examiner with a hand, and a compression device that compresses a subject with a balloon. In the ultrasonic probe, the balloon is mounted with a hollow compression portion formed of an elastic member, a tube for injecting / extracting liquid into the compression portion, and the compression portion on an ultrasonic transmission / reception surface. The compression part is attached to the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface in a state where tension is applied. Since tension is applied to the compression part, compression can be started quickly with a small initial injection volume. Therefore, the compression operation can be performed smoothly.

[0009] Further, frame data obtained by transmitting an ultrasonic wave from an ultrasonic probe having a compression device that applies pressure to the biological tissue of the subject and measuring a reflected echo signal generated from the subject is obtained. Using the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus for obtaining elasticity information of a living tissue at a plurality of measurement points based on a pair of the frame data, and generating and displaying an elasticity image based on the obtained elasticity information, Has an ultrasound probe. Since tension is applied to the compression part, compression can be started quickly with a small initial injection volume. Therefore, it is possible to smoothly perform the pressing operation. Furthermore, since the thickness of the liquid layer in the compression part can be reduced, an elastic image can be obtained in which the influence of noise caused by multiple reflections in the liquid layer is suppressed. Brief Description of Drawings

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus to which a compression apparatus of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of Example 1 of a balloon according to the compression device of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram of an example of an ultrasonic probe that is used by attaching the balloon of Example 1.

FIG. 4 is a configuration diagram of an ultrasonic probe equipped with the balloon of Example 1.

FIG. 5 is a view for explaining a method for manufacturing the balloon of Example 1.

FIG. 6 is a view for explaining a pressing operation of a balloon to which an initial tension is applied according to the first embodiment.

FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining multiple reflection noise caused by the liquid layer thickness of the balloon.

FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining noise caused by multiple reflection when the liquid layer thickness of the balloon is thick.

FIG. 9 is a diagram illustrating an embodiment in which a mark for attaching a balloon to an appropriate position is attached.

FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram of an ultrasonic probe equipped with the balloon of Example 2.

FIG. 11 is a configuration diagram of Example 3 of a balloon according to the compression device of the present invention.

FIG. 12 is a configuration diagram of an example of an end-fire type ultrasonic probe to which the balloon of Example 3 is attached.

FIG. 13 is a view showing a state in which the balloon of Example 3 is attached to an endfire type ultrasonic probe.

FIG. 14 is a configuration diagram of a balloon according to a modification of Example 3.

FIG. 15 is a configuration diagram of an embodiment of a compression operation unit that injects / discharges liquid to / from a balloon.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

Hereinafter, embodiments of a compression apparatus to which the present invention is applied, an ultrasonic probe using the compression apparatus, and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing the configuration of an embodiment of an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus to which the compression apparatus of the present invention is applied.

As shown in FIG. 1, the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1 includes an ultrasonic probe 12 that is used while being in contact with a subject 10 via a balloon 38, and an ultrasonic probe 12. Controls the transmitter 14 that repeatedly transmits ultrasonic waves to the subject 10 at time intervals, the receiver 16 that receives the time-series reflected echo signals generated from the subject 10, and the transmitter 14 and receiver 16 A transmission / reception control unit 17 and a phasing addition unit 18 for phasing and adding the reflected echo received by the reception unit 16. The The RF signal frame data output from the phasing addition unit 18 is guided to the tomographic image construction unit 20, where a tomographic tomographic image (for example, a black and white B-mode image) of the subject is constructed. The output signal of the grayscale tomographic image formed by the tomographic image forming unit 20 is converted by the black and white scan converter 22 so as to match the display of the image display 26.

In addition, the RF signal frame data output from the phasing addition unit 18 is stored in the RF signal frame data storage unit 28. The displacement measuring unit 30 selects at least two pieces of frame data from the RF signal frame data storage unit 28 and measures the displacement of the living tissue of the subject 10. The displacement information measured by the displacement measuring unit 30 is input to the elasticity information calculating unit 32, where the strain or elastic modulus of the living tissue is obtained. The strain or elastic modulus calculated by the elastic information calculation unit 32 is input to the elastic image construction unit 34, where a color elastic image corresponding to the strain or elastic modulus is constructed. The output signal of the color elastic image formed by the elastic image forming unit 34 is input to the color scan converter 36, where it is converted to match the display on the image display 26. The switching and adding unit 24 switches the display mode in which the B-mode image output from the black and white scan converter 22 and the color elastic image output from the color scan converter 36 are superimposed or displayed in parallel, and combined. The synthesized image is displayed on the image display 26. Since the above configuration is provided in a known ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, detailed description thereof is omitted.

Next, the compression apparatus according to the present invention and the configuration unique to the ultrasonic probe using the compression apparatus will be described in detail. The compression device of this embodiment includes a balloon 38, a pressure sensor 40, a flow sensor 42, a compression operation unit 44, a compression operation evaluation unit 46, and a balloon liquid layer thickness calculation unit 48. The ultrasonic probe 12 is equipped with a balloon 38 for compressing the subject 10. The balloon 38 is formed into a bag shape using a material that can transmit ultrasonic waves, and is attached to the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface of the ultrasonic probe 12. The balloon 38 is preferably made of a material that is safe for living bodies, such as polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride, latex (natural rubber), silicon, and the like, and has elasticity! /.

[0015] The balloon 38 is filled with a liquid such as water or oil, and the balloon 38 is inflated and deflated by injecting / extracting the liquid from the compression operation section 44 into the balloon 38. . When the balloon 38 is inflated by the compression operation unit 44, the pressure on the subject 10 is increased. Therefore, when the balloon 38 is deflated, the pressure on the subject 10 can be relaxed. The operation of the compression operation unit 44 is performed by the device control interface unit 50 in the case of automatic operation, but can also be performed manually.

In addition, the flow rate sensor 42 detects the flow rate of liquid injected / discharged by the compression operation unit 44. Further, the pressure of the liquid inside the balloon 38 is detected by the pressure sensor 40. The balloon liquid layer thickness calculation unit 48 calculates the liquid layer thickness in the ultrasonic wave propagation direction of the balloon 38 based on the RF signal frame data in the RF signal frame data storage unit 28 and injects / discharges it to the balloon 38. It is configured to determine the flow rate of liquid injection / discharge. The compression operation evaluation unit 46 determines whether the pressure of the liquid 10 detected by the flow sensor 42 or the balloon liquid layer thickness calculation unit 48 or the pressure of the liquid detected by the pressure sensor 40 exceeds the object 10 in contact with the balloon 38. It is configured to calculate the pressure (compression force) applied to the tissue in the acoustic scanning area. The pressure information calculated by the compression operation evaluation unit 46 is input to the elasticity information calculation unit 32, and the elastic modulus is obtained from the displacement information of the displacement measurement unit 30.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described based on examples of the compression device.

Example 1

FIG. 2 is a configuration diagram of the balloon 38 according to the first embodiment of the compression device of the present invention, FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing an example of the ultrasonic probe 12, and FIG. 3 is a configuration diagram showing an example of a mounted ultrasonic probe 12. FIG.

FIG. 2 (a) is a view of the balloon 38 as viewed from the distal end side, FIG. 2 (b) is a side view, and FIG. 2 (c) is a top view. As shown in FIG. 2 (a), the balloon 38 is formed in a cylindrical shape (ring shape) by a belt-like sheet member 61 having elasticity. The inner diameter of the cylindrical mounting portion 61 of the belt-shaped sheet member is formed smaller than the outer diameter of the ultrasonic probe head 101 (attached portion) of the ultrasonic probe 12. Then, as shown in FIGS. 2B and 2C, a hollow compression portion 62 is formed in a part of the belt-like sheet member 61, communicated with the compression portion 62, and injects / discharges liquid into the compression portion 62. The tubes 63a and 63b are formed. That is, the mounting part 61 is connected to the periphery of the compression part 62. The compression part 62 is formed to have an area larger than the area of the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface 102. The other ends of the tubes 63a and 63b are connected to the compression operation unit 44 in FIG. As shown in FIG. 3, the ultrasound probe 12 is called a transrectal ultrasound probe, and is a cylindrical ultrasound probe head that is inserted into a body cavity. The ultrasonic transmitting / receiving surface 102 having a cross section transducer group on the outer surface of the ultrasonic probe head 101 and the longitudinal cross section transducer group orthogonal to the cross section. An ultrasonic transmission / reception surface 103 is provided. The ultrasonic probe head 101 is connected to a holding unit 105 that is held and held by an examiner with a hand through a cylindrical connecting unit 104. 3A is a view of the ultrasonic probe head 101 as viewed from the tip side, FIG. 3B is a side view, and FIG. 3C is a top view.

FIG. 4 shows a shape after the balloon 38 is attached to the ultrasonic probe 12. FIG. 4 (a) is a view of the ultrasonic probe head 101 with the balloon 38 attached, as viewed from the distal end side. FIG. 4 (b) is a side view and FIG. 4 (c) is a top view. The mounting portion 61 has a cylindrical shape, and is wound around the periphery of the ultrasonic probe head 101 of the ultrasonic probe 12 by pushing and spreading the mounting portion 61. The mounting unit 61 has a compression unit 62 mounted on the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface 102, and the compression unit 62 is mounted on the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface 102 in a state where tension is applied. As described above, the strip-shaped sheet member 61 formed in a cylindrical shape is also formed as the mounting portion 61 for mounting the balloon 38 to the ultrasonic probe 12.

[0022] A method of manufacturing the balloon 38 of Example 1 will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 5 (a), the balloon 38 is formed by two elastic strip-like sheet members 61a and 61b and two tubes 63a and 63b. As shown in FIG. 6B, the two tubes 63a and 63b are positioned at the tip of the compression portion 62, and the two strip-shaped sheet members 61a except the region where the compression portion 62 is formed. The peripheral edge of 61b is welded and sealed. At this time, the outer surfaces of the belt-like sheet members 61a and 61b and the tubes 63a and 63b are also welded together. Thereby, the compression part 62 can be formed in a part of the belt-like sheet member 61. Then, as shown in FIG. 4C, the cylindrical balloon 38 can be formed by overlapping and welding the both end portions 61c and 61d of the belt-like sheet member 61. The sealing of the belt-like sheet members 61a and 61b and the tubes 63a and 63b is not limited to welding, and the pressing portion 62 may be sealed by bonding using a strong adhesive. Further, the two tubes 63a and 63b are welded or bonded so as not to block the flow path. The tubes 63a and 63b are simply connected in parallel and connected to the compression operation unit 44. [0023] Thus, the reason why the two tubes are arranged in parallel is that the diameter of the tubes 63a and 63b is reduced and the outer shape of the ultrasonic probe 12 including the ultrasonic probe head 101 is reduced. This is to insert into the body cavity. Further, when bubbles enter the liquid in the compression part 62, the liquid is injected from the tube 63a to the compression part 62, and the liquid is discharged from the compression part 62 to the tube 63b to remove the bubbles.

[0024] The balloon 38 of the present embodiment has an attachment portion in which a belt-like sheet member 61 having elasticity is formed in a cylindrical shape, and the ultrasonic probe having an inner diameter of the attachment portion with the ultrasonic probe 12 is used. Since it is formed to be smaller than the outer diameter of the probe head 101 (attachment portion), when attaching to the ultrasonic probe head 101, the attachment portion of the belt-like sheet member 61 is attached by being expanded. Then, the balloon 38 is actively attached by tightening the ultrasonic probe head 101 by the tension when the attachment portion contracts, and tension (initial tension) is applied to the sheet film of the compression portion 62. This initial tension can be adjusted by changing the cylinder diameter of the belt-like sheet member 61. For example, when the cylinder diameter of the belt-like sheet member 61 is increased, the initial tension is reduced, and when the cylinder diameter of the belt-like sheet member 61 is reduced, the initial tension is increased.

Further, it can be adjusted by the elasticity and thickness of the material of the belt-like sheet member 61.

For example, when the thickness of the material of the belt-shaped sheet member 61 is reduced, the initial tension is decreased, and when the thickness of the material of the belt-shaped sheet member 61 is increased, the initial tension is increased.

[0026] The belt-like sheet member 61 is made of a stretchable material such as silicon, urethane, bull (vinyl chloride), latex (natural rubber). The belt-like sheet member 61 is made of a material that returns to its original state with a strong force without being broken even if it is stretched. In particular, it is preferable to use a belt-like sheet formed with a uniform thickness with high accuracy.

In the present embodiment, the two belt-like sheets 61 are overlapped to form the compression portion 62. However, the hollow compression portion 62 is formed from one member, and a string-like shape is formed at both ends of the compression portion 62. These bands may be attached, the bands may be wound around the ultrasonic probe head 101 (attached part), and the compression part 62 may be attached to the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface.

[0028] An operation of injecting / extracting liquid from the compression operation unit 44 to the balloon 38 to which the initial tension is applied in this manner and applying a compression force to the subject 10 will be described with reference to FIG. Fig. 6 (a) shows the state of the balloon 38 immediately after being attached to the ultrasonic probe 12, and Fig. 6 (b) shows the ultrasonic wave. This shows a state in which liquid injection has started in the balloon 38 attached to the probe 12. As shown in FIG. 6 (a), by attaching the balloon 38 to the ultrasonic probe 12, an initial tension TO is applied to the sheet membrane of the compression portion 62. Therefore, when the liquid is injected into the balloon 38, the pressure of the liquid in the compression unit 62 is the initial pressure P0 corresponding to the initial tension TO.

[0029] Further, when a liquid is injected into the compression part 62 and the threshold tension T1 corresponding to the pressure that can be opposed to the pressing pressure F0 of the ultrasonic probe 12 is exceeded, as shown in FIG. 6 (b). Then, the compression part 62 starts to expand. As a result, the pressure F applied to the target tissue 64 of the subject 10 increases, and strain is generated in the target tissue 64.

[0030] Therefore, according to the compression device and the ultrasonic probe of the present embodiment, compression with the balloon 38 can be quickly started with a small amount of! / And the initial injection amount V0. In particular, even for a minute injection amount change Δν (for example, about 0.1 to 0.5 CC), the compression portion 62 can be expanded or contracted sensitively in all regions of the sheet film surface of the compression portion 62. The strain 64 can be generated by a delicate compression operation. In addition, since the threshold tension T1 is applied over the entire area of the sheet membrane surface, even if there is a surface area in contact with the target biological tissue! /, NA! /, Only the area expands / contracts. It is possible to apply pressure with a pressure corresponding to the threshold tension to the contact surface area with the living tissue without concentration. Therefore, use force S to perform the compression operation smoothly.

[0031] Further, according to the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus of the present embodiment, the initial injection volume V0 of the liquid into the balloon 38 can be reduced, so that the thickness d of the liquid layer in the compression part 62 can be reduced. As a result, it is possible to obtain an elastic image in which the influence of noise caused by multiple reflection in the liquid layer is suppressed. In particular, in the balloon 38 of the first embodiment, if the initial tension TO is set to be equal to or higher than the threshold tension T1, the target tissue 64 can be compressed with a slight injection amount change Δν even when the initial injection amount V0 is almost zero.

Therefore, as shown in FIG. 7, the range in which the multiple reflection noise 65 is generated can be suppressed to a range close to the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface 102 of the ultrasonic probe 12. When an ultrasonic wave propagates, it reflects at an intensity corresponding to the degree of the difference at the boundary of the region where the acoustic impedance is different. Therefore, reflection occurs in the compression part 62 at the boundary between the sheet membrane surface and the epidermis of the target tissue 64, and the reflected ultrasonic wave further reflects on the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface 102. And propagates in the direction of the target tissue 64 again. This phenomenon occurs in multiple layers in the liquid layer of the compression part 62, and as shown in the right figure of FIG. 7, between the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface 102 and the sheet membrane surface of the compression part 62 (= skin of the target tissue 64). Multiple reflection noise 65 appears at a distance that is an integral multiple of the distance d. Since this noise is also superimposed on the target tissue 64 (for example, the prostate region), the elasticity information calculated based on the RF reception signal on which this noise is superimposed is also affected by the noise and the accuracy is reduced, and diagnosis is performed. Hinder.

[0032] In particular, according to the prior art in which the initial tension is not applied to the balloon, as shown in the comparative example of FIG. 8, the initial injection amount V0 ′ that must be injected into the balloon in order to generate the threshold tension T1. Therefore, the thickness d 'of the liquid layer of the balloon 38 must be increased. For this reason, noise 65 due to multiple reflections in the liquid layer appears in a wide range of the elastic image, degrading the S / N of the elastic image. In particular, the reflected echo signal derived from the deeper part is amplified more greatly to construct a B-mode image. Technical force such as TGC (TimeGainControl) and STC (SensitiVityTimeControl) Force commonly applied to ultrasonic diagnostic equipment Balloon 38 sheet membrane As the reflection on the surface is generated at a position farther away from the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface 102 of the ultrasonic probe 12, the noise due to this reflection is greatly enhanced, so the S / N of the elastic image is significantly degraded. .

[0033] In the first embodiment, the balloon 38 used for the transrectal ultrasonic probe 12 is described as an example. However, the present embodiment is not limited to this, and the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface is a cylindrical ultrasonic probe. It can be used for an ultrasonic probe formed on the outer peripheral surface of the child head so as to extend in the circumferential direction. In addition to transrectal, such ultrasonic probes include transesophageal ultrasonic transducers, transvaginal ultrasonic probes, fingertip-mounted ultrasonic probes, and blood vessels. Microprobes and endoscopic probes are known.

[0034] It is preferable that the initial tension T0 of the compression unit 62 exceeds the threshold tension T1 corresponding to the pressure that can be opposed to the pressing pressure F0 of the ultrasonic probe 12, but not necessarily limited thereto. . If tension is pre-applied to the compression part 62, the initial injection volume V0 until the threshold tension T1 is exceeded can be reduced compared to the conventional method, the compression start can be accelerated, and the quality of the elastic image due to the noise of multiple reflections. Degradation can be reduced.

[0035] According to the compression device of the first embodiment, the balloon 38 attached to the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface 102 of the ultrasonic probe 12 is pressed against the target tissue, and the pressing force F at that time is the reference compression state. When Hold to be. The state where the initial injection amount V0 is given to the balloon 38 is the initial state. By measuring the pressure P of the liquid in the balloon 38 at this time with the pressure sensor 40, the compression operation evaluation unit 46 can calculate the compression force F per unit area. Therefore, the compression operation unit 44 is controlled to inject / discharge the liquid in the balloon 38 so that the compression force per unit area becomes the standard compression state. Next, with the reference compressed state as the origin, a liquid with a minute injection amount change Δν is injected / discharged to inflate and deflate the compression portion 62 of the balloon 38, and the target tissue 64 has a minute pressure change Δ Δ. give. As is well known, using the displacement change of the tissue generated inside the target tissue 64 due to this pressure change Δ において, the elasticity information calculation unit 32 uses the tissue strain change Δε and Calculate elastic modulus and obtain elastic information for diagnosis. For example, a strain distribution is calculated as elasticity information, and a strain image is constructed as an elasticity image and displayed on the image display 26. According to this embodiment, the examiner can make a diagnosis of elasticity in real time.

[0036] Since the balloon 38 and the tube 63 are inserted into the body cavity of the living body together with the ultrasonic probe 12, they are contaminated during the examination. As with the ultrasound probe cover used during the operation, it is disposable once each time. Further, the balloon 38 and the tube 63 are sterilized (for example, γ sterilized) and then packaged in a bag or the like for management and storage.

[0037] As shown in Fig. 9 (b), when the balloon 38 is mounted so that the center position of the balloon 38 does not coincide with the center position of the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface in the cross section, the uniformity of the compression in the left-right direction Is not secured. Therefore, it is preferable that a mark 69 indicating the center position of the rune 38 is placed in the attachment portion of the balloon 38 as shown in FIG. This mark may be shown by printing, or a protrusion may be provided on the balloon 38 by welding or bonding. As a result, if the balloon 38 is mounted so that the center position of the ultrasonic wave transmission / reception surface of the cross section of the mark and the ultrasonic probe coincides, the balloon 38 is mounted at a predetermined position easily and reliably. This can avoid uneven pressure caused by the problem and improve the reproducibility of diagnosis. In addition, the mark 69 is not limited to the center position of the balloon 38. For example, even if the mark 69 is attached to a portion corresponding to the back surface of the ultrasonic probe on the opposite side of 180 °, the mark 69 has a predetermined position relative to the ultrasonic probe. Can be confirmed. Example 2

FIG. 10 is a configuration diagram showing an example of the ultrasound probe 12 to which the balloon 38 of the second embodiment is attached. The difference from the first embodiment is that a hollow compression portion 62 is attached to the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface 103.

FIG. 10 shows the shape after the balloon 38 is attached to the ultrasonic probe 12. FIG. 10 (a) is a view of the ultrasonic probe head 101 equipped with the balloon 38 as viewed from the distal end side. FIG. 10 (b) is a side view and FIG. 10 (c) is a top view. The mounting portion 61 has a cylindrical shape, and is wound around the periphery of the ultrasonic probe head 101 of the ultrasonic probe 12 by pushing and spreading the mounting portion 61. The mounting part 61 is connected to the periphery of the compression part 62. The mounting part 61 has the compression part 62 attached to the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface 103, and the compression part 62 is attached to the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface 103 in a state where tension is applied. As described above, the strip-shaped sheet member 61 formed in a cylindrical shape is also formed as the mounting portion 61 for mounting the balloon 38 to the ultrasonic probe 12. The ultrasonic transmission / reception surface 103 can be attached to the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface 103 by the attachment portion 61 with the force S and the compression portion 62 that are in a relieved shape.

[0039] In the second embodiment, the case where one balloon 38 is attached to one ultrasonic probe 12 has been described as an example. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and in the case of the ultrasonic probe 12 in which two ultrasonic transmission / reception surfaces 102 and 103 are provided in one ultrasonic probe head, the respective ultrasonic transmission / reception surfaces are provided. Two balloons 38 can be provided on 102 and 103 independently. In this case, it is preferable that the two balloons 38 are connected and integrally formed so that the two balloons 38 can be attached simultaneously.

[0040] Also, it is preferable that the two balloons 38 are independently connected to the compression operation unit 44 so that they can be controlled independently! Both balloons 38 are connected to one compression operation section 44 so that the same day temple can be operated.

[0041] For example, at the time of biopsy, the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface 103 of the longitudinal section is preferentially operated. When switching to the longitudinal section, the balloon 38 of the longitudinal section automatically expands and contracts, When switching to the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface 102, the balloon 38 having a cross section is automatically inflated and deflated.

[0042] When setting the real-time vibrator, both balloons 38 are independently inflated and retracted. Although it is contracted, it is a force that allows one of the cross sections to expand and contract alternately so that there is no cross-sectional misalignment during compression.

[0043] Even in the case of V and deviation, the compression operation unit 44 is controlled in coordination with the control signal of the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus, so that compression within an appropriate distortion range can be performed according to the frame rate. Variable compression speed (injection volume / discharge volume).

Example 3

FIG. 11 is a block diagram showing an example of Example 3 of the balloon 38 according to the compression device of the present invention, and FIG. 12 shows an ultrasonic probe 12 used with the balloon 38 of Example 3 attached thereto. It is a block diagram of an example.

As shown in FIG. 12, the ultrasonic probe 12 using the compression device of the third embodiment has an ultrasonic probe having a semicylindrical tip surface at the tip of a cylindrical insertion portion 106. A child head 107 is fixed, and an ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface 108 having a group of transducers is provided on the cylindrical surface of the ultrasonic probe head 107. Such an ultrasound probe 12 is a transrectal ultrasound probe generally called an end-fire type. Fig. 12 (a) is a view of the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface 108 as viewed from the front, and Fig. 12 (b) is a side view of the ultrasonic probe 12, and Fig. 12 (c) is a top view of the ultrasonic probe 12. It is.

FIG. 11 shows a balloon 38 used for such an endfire type ultrasonic probe 12. In FIG. 11, (a) is a view from the front side corresponding to the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface 108 of the balloon 38, (b) is a side view, and (c) is a top view. As shown in these drawings, the belt-like sheet member 71 (mounting portion) of the balloon 38 is connected to the periphery of the compression portion 72. A tube 73 communicated with the compression part 72 is provided, and attachment parts 74 are connected to both ends of the belt-like sheet member 71. The other end of the tube 73 is connected to the compression operating unit 44 shown in FIG. The mounting portion 74 applies tension to the sheet film of the compression portion 72 of the belt-like sheet member 71. In addition, a pair of belt-like members 75 (mounting portions) made of an elastic material are connected to the side edges of both ends of the belt-like sheet member 71. Since the inner diameter of the belt-like member 75 is smaller than the outer diameter of the ultrasonic probe head 107 (attached part) of the ultrasonic probe 12, the belt-like sheet member 71 is ultrasonically transmitted and received by the elastic force of the belt-like member 75. Mounted on surface 108 by tightening.

[0047] The mounting portion 74 includes two sets of bands 76a and 76B each of which is connected to both ends of the belt-like sheet member 71, and connecting bands 77a and 77B that connect the bands 76a and 76B. ,Linking It has a hook band 78 that connects the other ends of the bands 77a and 77B. At least a part of each band constituting the mounting portion 74 is made of a member having band force elasticity. As shown in FIG. 13, the balloon 38 configured in this manner is used by being attached to an end-fire type ultrasonic probe 12. In FIG. 13, (a) is a view of the state where the balloon 38 is attached to the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface 108, as viewed from the front side, (b) is a side view, and (c) is a top view. As shown in these figures, while pressing and spreading the ring-shaped portion formed by the pair of strip-shaped members 75 that connect both ends of the strip-shaped sheet member 71, the compression portion 72 is aligned with the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface 108 and superposed. Attach to acoustic probe head 107. Then, the entire mounting portion 74 is stretched, and the hook band 78 is engaged with the engaging portion 109 at the rear end of the insertion portion 106. As a result, both ends of the belt-like sheet member 71 are pulled, and the sheet film of the compression portion 72 is stretched in the longitudinal direction, so that initial tension is applied. In addition, due to the tension of the pair of band-shaped members 75, both end portions of the band-shaped sheet member 71 are extended in the circumferential direction of the ultrasonic probe head 107, and in response to this, the sheet film of the compression section 72 is shortened. Tension is applied. As a result, the sheet film of the compression portion 72 can be mounted with the same tightening force over the circumferential direction of the semi-cylindrical ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface 108.

[0048] The initial tension TO of the sheet film of the compression portion 72 is set to a sufficiently short distance, for example, by comparing the length L of the bands 76a and 76B and the connecting bands 77a and 77B with the length of the insertion portion 106. It can be adjusted by setting. The bands 76a and 76B and the connecting bands 77a and 77B are preferably made of an elastic material that is relatively hard and hardly stretched. The hook band 78 is relatively hard and difficult to stretch, such as a urethane tube. The members of the band 76, the connecting band 77, and the hooking band 78 may be formed integrally with the belt-like sheet member 71 that is not necessarily separate from the belt-like sheet member 71.

[0049] Further, by adjusting the length of the insertion portion 106 in the longitudinal direction, the tightening force of the compression portion 72 can be arbitrarily adjusted. The insertion portion 106 is provided with gears, wires, and the like (not shown), and the insertion portion 106 can be expanded and contracted in the longitudinal direction. Therefore, when the insertion portion 106 is extended in the longitudinal direction, the tightening force of the compression portion 72 increases, and when the insertion portion 106 is contracted in the longitudinal direction, the compression force of the compression portion 72 decreases. In this way, the tightening force of the compression part 72 is optimally adjusted by adjusting the length of the insertion part 106 in the longitudinal direction. The power S to do.

[0050] As shown in FIG. 13 (b), the tightening pressure to be tightened toward the cylindrical ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface 108 differs between the region of the longitudinal end portion of the sheet film of the compression portion 72 and the region of the central portion. . Therefore, in the third embodiment, the length of the pair of belt-like members 75 is adjusted, and the end of the belt-like sheet member 71 is pulled in the axial direction of the semi-cylinder of the ultrasonic probe head 107, so that the compression portion 72 The clamping pressures in the longitudinal end region and the central region of the sheet membrane are made equal.

Note that, instead of the pair of belt-like members 75 in FIG. 11, both side edges of the belt-like sheet member 71 are connected by elastic sheet members 79 as shown in FIG. By forming a cap part that is slightly smaller than the tube diameter of the tube and pushing it over the ultrasonic probe head 107, the same clamping pressure can be achieved over the entire area of the compression part 72.

[0052] Therefore, in Example 3, the compression part 72 can be sensitively expanded in the area of the compression part 72! /, And the force of contraction can be reduced, and can be applied to the target tissue by a delicate compression operation. Distortion can be generated. In addition, since the threshold tension is applied to all areas of the sheet membrane surface, even if there is a surface area that is not in contact with the target biological tissue, expansion / contraction does not concentrate only on that area. It is possible to apply pressure to the contact surface area with the living tissue with a pressure corresponding to the threshold tension. Therefore, the compression operation can be performed smoothly.

In Examples 1 to 3, the example in which the compression device of the present invention is applied to a convex, linear, and endfire type transrectal ultrasonic probe has been described. In addition to transrectal ultrasound probes, these devices can be applied to ultrasound probes of any shape such as transesophageal, transvaginal, fingertip-mounted, blood vessel microprobe, and endoscopic probe. Applicable. It is characterized in that initial tension is applied to the sheet membrane of the compression part while the balloon is attached to the ultrasonic probe, and the shape and structure of the attachment part that applies tension to the sheet film of the compression part are different. It can be designed according to the shape of the ultrasound probe. Examples 1 to 3 can also be applied to convex-type linear ultrasonic probes that compress a subject from outside.

Example 4 It is important that the belt-like sheet members 61 and 71 of the balloon 38 shown in Examples 1 to 3 are formed using a material having sufficient tension, tightening pressure, and ultrasonic wave permeability. For elasticity, the materials listed in Example 1 can be used. In addition, in order to reduce the multiple reflection of ultrasonic waves described in Figs. 7 and 8, the acoustic wave of the living tissue should be as thin as possible.

[0055] Therefore, instead of forming the balloon 38 by the same two belt-like sheet members 61a and 61b shown in the first embodiment, if the side in contact with the target tissue 64 is the belt-like sheet member 61a, for example, The strip sheet member 6 lb does not play the role of expanding and contracting to compress the target tissue 64. Therefore, it is preferable to use a combination suitable for the purpose by making the material, thickness and hardness of the belt-like sheet member 61a and the belt-like sheet member 61b different. For example, the belt-like sheet member 61b in contact with the ultrasonic wave transmission / reception surface can be made as thin as the belt-like sheet member 61a and as excellent in ultrasonic transmission as possible as the balloon 38. Example 5

[0056] In the above-described Examples 1 to 4, the examples related to the balloon of the compression device of the present invention are shown. In the fifth embodiment, an embodiment of the compression operation unit 44 that injects / discharges liquid to / from the balloon 38 of the compression device of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 15 shows a conceptual configuration of an embodiment of the compression operation unit 44. As shown in FIG. 15, the tube 63 of the balloon 38 is connected to a compression operation syringe 82 and a foam removal syringe 83 via a three-way cock 81. (1) to (5) in FIG. 15 explain the procedure for defoaming the liquid injected into the balloon 38.

[0057] At the start of use of the compression device, as shown in Fig. 15 (1), the foam removal syringe 83 is filled with a liquid such as water. Then, the three-way cock 81 is switched so that the balloon 38 communicates only with the foam removal syringe 83. Next, as shown in FIG. 15 (2), the insertion and withdrawal of the pusher of the defoaming syringe 83 is repeated to defoam the air and air bubbles in the balloon 38 and the tubes 63 (63a, 63b). Guide to syringe 83. Next, as shown in FIG. 15 (3), the three-way stopcock 81 is switched to allow only the foam removal syringe 83 and the compression operation syringe 82 to communicate with each other. Then, as shown in FIG. 15 (4), the pusher of the compression operation syringe 82 is pulled out to introduce the liquid, and the liquid is taken in and out between the foam removal syringe 83 and the compression operation syringe 82. The air in the compression operation syringe 82 and air bubbles are guided to the foam removal syringe 83. Finally As shown in FIG. 15 (5), the three-way cock 81 is switched, and the foam removal syringe 83 is separated from the tube 63 by force so that a normal compression operation is possible. The bubble removal syringe 83 is held at a position higher than the balloon 38 and the compression operation syringe 82. In addition, the initial injection volume V0 is adjusted by the foam removal syringe 83.

[0058] As described above, it is important to prevent bubbles from being present in the liquid inside the balloon 38. Therefore, according to the present embodiment, the bubbles can be completely extracted from the liquid in the balloon 38 and the compression operation syringe 82, and elastic image diagnosis without noise caused by the presence of the bubbles in the balloon 38 is performed. be able to.

[0059] As described above, the balloon 38 and the tube 63 are disposable. Therefore, the balloon 38, the tube 63, the three-way cock 81, the compression operation syringe 82, and the foam removal syringe 83 are assembled in advance, and a sterilized package is obtained as a set. In that case, if the liquid is injected and the bubble is removed, the ultrasonic probe 12 can be mounted and used immediately after opening. It is more desirable to use raw water, deaerated water or the like as the liquid.

[0060] The operation of the above embodiment is controlled by the ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus 1, but the holding portion of the ultrasonic probe 12 is provided with an interface such as a button or a lever for controlling the balloon so that the examiner can use the ultrasonic probe. It may be realized by a foot switch that allows the movement of the balloon 38 to be switched at the hand holding the touch element 12. In addition, it is now possible to recognize and switch instructions from the examiner's voice! /

Claims

The scope of the claims

[1] A balloon that is used by being attached to the ultrasound transmission / reception surface of the ultrasound probe, and is placed on a compression device that compresses the subject with the balloon,

The balloon is connected to a hollow compression part formed of an elastic member, a tube for injecting / extracting liquid into the compression part, and a periphery of the compression part, and an ultrasonic transmission / reception surface of the ultrasonic probe And a mounting portion for mounting the compression portion, wherein the inner diameter of the mounting portion or the compression portion is smaller than the outer diameter of the mounted portion of the ultrasonic probe.

2. The compression device according to claim 1, wherein the mounting portion is cylindrical.

3. The mounting part according to claim 1, wherein one end of the mounting part has a semi-cylindrical shape, and the other end of the mounting part has a hooking part that hooks a part of the ultrasonic probe. Compression device.

4. The compression apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a tension applied to the elastic member of the compression part is set based on at least one of a material and a thickness of the attachment part. Place.

[5] The compression device according to [1], wherein a mark indicating a center position of the balloon is attached to the mounting portion.

[6] The compression device according to [1], wherein the compression section has a larger area than the area of the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface.

7. The compression device according to claim 1, wherein the tube is composed of a first tube for injecting the liquid and a second tube for discharging the liquid.

8. The compression device according to claim 1, wherein the compression part is formed by overlapping two belt-like sheets having elasticity and sealing a peripheral part of the belt-like sheet.

9. The compression device according to claim 8, wherein the belt-like sheet is one of silicon, urethane, bull, and latex.

[10] The balloon is attached to a cylindrical ultrasonic probe in which the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface extends in the circumferential direction, and the compression portion is the ultrasonic probe. 2. The compression device according to claim 1, wherein the compression device is formed to have a size corresponding to the ultrasonic wave transmitting / receiving surface.

[11] The balloon is used for an ultrasonic probe in which the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface is formed on a distal end surface, and the compression portion corresponds to the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface of the ultrasonic probe. 2. The compression device according to claim 1, wherein the compression device is formed to have a size as described above.

12. The compression device according to claim 1, wherein the balloon has a cap portion that covers a distal end portion of the ultrasonic probe.

13. The compression device according to claim 1, wherein the tube is provided with a compression operation unit connected to a compression operation syringe and a foam removal syringe via a three-way cock.

[14] An ultra-thin having a distal end portion having an ultrasonic transmission / reception surface, a holding portion connected to the distal end portion and held by an examiner with a hand, and a compression device for compressing a subject with a balloon In the acoustic probe, the balloon is mounted by attaching a hollow compression part formed of an elastic member, a tube for injecting / extracting liquid to the compression part, and the compression part on an ultrasonic transmission / reception surface. An ultrasonic probe characterized in that the compression part is attached to an ultrasonic transmission / reception surface in a state where tension is applied! /.

15. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 14, wherein the mounting portion has a cylindrical shape and is wound around a mounting portion having the ultrasonic transmission / reception surface.

16. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 14, wherein the holding portion has an engaging portion for engaging the mounting portion, and one end of the mounting portion is engaged with the engaging portion. Tentacles.

17. The ultrasonic probe according to claim 14, further comprising a compression operation unit that expands and contracts the compression unit by injecting / discharging the liquid through the tube.

18. The two ultrasonic transmission / reception surfaces orthogonal to each other are provided at the tip portion, and the compression portions of the balloon are attached to the two ultrasonic transmission / reception surfaces, respectively. Ultrasonic probe.

[19] Using frame data obtained by transmitting an ultrasonic wave from an ultrasonic probe having a compression device that applies pressure to the biological tissue of the subject and measuring a reflected echo signal generated from the subject 15. An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus that obtains elasticity information of a living tissue at a plurality of measurement points based on a pair of the frame data, and generates and displays an elasticity image based on the obtained elasticity information. The ultrasonic probe according to any one of 1 to 18 An ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus having a child.

The ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus according to claim 19, further comprising a pressure sensor that measures a pressure in the compression portion.